Belt conveyors are used in bulk material handling (e.g., aggregate and mining) industries to transport bulk material (e.g., sand, gravel, concrete, etc.). In some operational environments, a portion of the bulk material may adhere to the conveyor belt due to moisture or other factors. Some belt conveyors include a scraper blade pivotally mounted near one end of the conveyor. In many implementations, the scraper blade is biased toward the conveyor belt to clean (e.g., remove, scrape) material from the belt such that the scraper blade remains in contact with the conveyor belt as the scraper blade wears due to interaction with the bulk material and/or with the belt.
Adjustment of the biasing mechanism used to retain the scraper blade in contact with the conveyor belt can be time-consuming. Changes in the orientation of the scraper blade relative to the belt and/or the force or pressure with which the scraper blade contacts the scraper blade can result in the need for additional biasing mechanism adjustment and may additionally cause inconsistent performance by or complete failure of the scraper blade.
There is a need for an improved conveyor belt cleaner having improved biasing mechanism and/or improved consistency of contact (e.g., force, pressure, cleaning angle) between the conveyor belt cleaner and the conveyor belt.